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While Ronald Reagan once referred to the Libyan leader as a "mad dog" and sent American bombers to strike Tripoli, Mr Blair pays tribute to a reliable ally.

"There is nothing I've ever agreed with him that should be done that hasn't been done," the Prime Minister said before the meeting. "It shows that it is possible to go from a situation where Libya was an outcast from the international community to a situation where our relationship has been transformed."

Mr Blair was greeted with great fanfare when he landed at Sirte airport yesterday. Beneath a large poster of Col Gaddafi, a guard of honour presented arms and a motley brass band struck up a merry cacophony bearing some resemblance to God Save The Queen.

Col Gaddafi, unshaven, unkempt and swathed in brown robes, smiled thinly as Mr Blair arrived in his tent. Afterwards, the Prime Minister described their talks as "positive and constructive".

Britain and Libya will co-operate more closely in the fight against terrorism and their rapprochement was good for both countries and the "wider region", he said.

The key moments in Libya's transformation came in December 2003, when Col Gaddafi handed over his entire inventory of weapons of mass destruction to British and American experts, and also revealed an illegal stockpile of chemical munitions and a covert nuclear weapons programme.

In addition, Libya disclosed details of its suppliers, which allowed Britain and America to prove that Abdul Qadeer Khan, the former head of Pakistan's nuclear programme, had been running a "nuclear supermarket" selling the key components for making atomic bombs to the highest bidders.

Prior to this, Libya had one by one removed other obstacles to better relations with the West. It agreed to pay compensation to the families of the 270 people who died when PanAm flight 173 was destroyed over Lockerbie in 1988. Two Libyan intelligence agents were handed over for trial and one was convicted of placing a bomb on board.

Also inside the tent yesterday was Peter Sutherland, the chairman of BP, which subsequently announced that it will return to Libya more than three decades after Col Gaddafi, filled with revolutionary fervour, nationalised all the company's assets in the country.

Officials travelling with Mr Blair said the oil firm had signed a £450 million agreement, with the prospect of 17 wells being drilled. They added that if all this exploration reached its full potential the deal could be worth £13 billion.

Mr Blair sees Libya as one of the key foreign policy successes of his premiership. Hence Col Gaddafi was the first leader he met at the outset of this week's official tour of Africa, which will also take him to Sierra Leone and South Africa.

Downing Street officials refute suggestions that this a "farewell tour" motivated by Mr Blair's vanity. Instead, his official spokesman described it as a demonstration of the importance of "continued engagement" with Africa.